


You Gave Me The World When You Put Your Hand In Mine

by CliffordAffliction



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fraternity, Art student!Luke, College, Luke is 22, M/M, barista!calum, luke with OMC, michael is 23, the frat is more like a gang really lmao, theyre brutal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-10-26
Packaged: 2018-08-23 10:08:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8323804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CliffordAffliction/pseuds/CliffordAffliction
Summary: Lukes boring life becomes interesting when he meets Michael and Michael finally has a reason to live when he meets Luke





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this 10k chapter in like one day no joke. Idk why I started another fic when I'm currently in the middle of 3 others but the idea just came to me while I was watching the show Leathal Weapon and I just went with it. Title from Flower by Vanna. I also don't know that much about frats so bear with me,

The autumn leaves were falling as Luke walked down the busy sidewalk of the city and he could hear cars beeping and people talking loudly in every direction. This kind of bustle might be stressful to anyone else but Luke loved it and he wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

He could see the light up sign of the coffee shop he went to every morning up in front of him and he was smiling by the time he entered it. Getting coffee every morning before class was just something Luke had to do and he knew he would go nuts if he didn't.

Luke liked having a schedule and he honestly liked doing pretty much the same thing every day. It soothed him and change and the chaos of not knowing what he was going to do everyday just wasn't for him and he had no idea how people lived like that.

Last week he got stuck with the wrong coffee order and he about had a panic attack at the change of plans. He ended up walking straight back into the coffee shop to get his original order which was a regular coffee with almond milk and a dash of hazelnut. The only reason his order was wrong last week was because they had a new worker and Luke hoped the new worker wouldn't be serving him today.

One of the baristas, Calum, had been serving him for years and of course by now he knew Luke's order every time he came in which made things much easier for Luke.

"Hey, Luke!" Calum said with the black apron around his waist and a black hat that was on backwards.

"Hey, Cal" Luke said smiling back at him as he approached the counter with his hands in his red and black flannel jacket with his black hoody underneath.

"You going to that frat party tonight?" Calum said as he briefly looked over his shoulder while he got to making Luke's coffee.

Luke's best friend and dorm mate was in the process of getting into the fraternity on campus so Luke was of course always getting invited to them. The thing was that Luke hated partying and he hated drinking so he never went. It never stopped Ashton from inviting him every time though.

"I don't know...probably not" Luke shrugged even though Calum's back was still to him. Something then occurred to Luke and he stood up straighter "Wait how'd you know about that?"

Calum turned a bit with a smile on his face and even from his place behind the counter Luke could tell that the boy was blushing.

"Ashton invited me" he said turning around and putting a lid on Luke's coffee cup.

"Oh, really?" Luke smirked.

It was no secret that Calum and Ashton had been dancing around each other for months, ever since Ashton came in to get coffee with Luke one time. Luke was so happy that Ashton finally got up the courage to do something about it.

Luke just wish he could find someone too but he had never been lucky in that department. Being a 21 year old virgin wasn't exactly ideal but Luke honesty just wanted to do it with the right person; someone who really loved him.

"Yeah he uh..." Calum was blushing again as he handed over the coffee "He seemed like he really wanted me to go"

"Well have fun" Luke smiled up at him with his warm coffee in his hand "And keep an eye on, Ash will you? He tends to get a little out of control"

Ashton could hold his liquor better than anyone that Luke knew but at parties he always went over his limit and tonight Luke expected him to stumbling into their dorm room around 3am like he always did. Luke also expected to be taking care of him all day Saturday and making a trip to go get soup and medicine for him.

Luke was a giver, always has been, and he knew he got it from his nurturing mother who may have babied him a bit growing up but Luke was thankful for it.

"Will do" Calum nodded then he was smiling as Luke turned around.

"Have a good day, Cal" Luke said over his shoulder.

"You too, Luke!"

Seeing the chirpy boy always made getting coffee so much better for Luke and he knew he would never go to any other coffee shop.

*

When Luke made it to the campus that was only a few blocks away he stepped onto the green grass that was steadily turning more brown and he looked up at all of the colorful trees as he crossed the quad to his first class: creative writing.

Although Luke was an art major he loved writing as well and has ever since high school. Creative classes have always been his forte while he struggled with things like math. He even went as far as getting tutor last semester and he swears it was the only reason he passed his math class.

He smiled at everyone who walked past him as most people either waved or smiled at him and he just couldn't help but be happy like this every day with how perfect his life was. He had two loving parents, the greatest best friend he could ever ask for and he was going to a college that he had dreamed about going to ever since he was a kid. Most kids dreamed of being astronauts or monster truck drivers but Luke always dreamed of going to Washington State University.

Luke got to the main entrance of one of the buildings and could smell the familiar scent of cleaner and coffee as soon as he stepped inside. He made his way through the hallway as more students passed him and then he was making it to the last room before the hallway split and he was opening the door to walk in.

He was early to class like he always liked to be and he found a seat in the 2nd row of the classroom where there was only two other students in his row. Luke made an effort to smile at them but neither of them returned it before they looked back down to their phones. Not everyone was as cheery and happy to be in class as Luke was and Luke was understanding of that.

Sometimes Ashton told him that he was too happy that it freaked people out but Luke just couldn't help it.

Several minutes passed by and steadily more students began to pile into the classroom.

A certain black haired boy with sharp blue eyes and a perfect jaw line came walking in and Luke felt himself shiver and it wasn't the good kind. That boy was the only not perfect thing in Luke's life.

Luke liked practically everyone and never had a problem with anyone...except a boy named Seth Ronaldo. It was weird that Luke didn't like the one person that everyone else loved and girls practically threw themselves at him but Luke had a good reason for not liking him.

Ever since Luke's freshman year of college Seth made it his mission to make Luke his but Luke never gave in. Seth was the type of person who used girls and Luke wasn't about that. Sure, Seth had model like looks but Luke wanted a real relationship; he wanted love.

Sometimes Luke wondered since Seth hasn't gave up yet that maybe he did have strong feelings for Luke and he was serious about him but Luke didn't want to get involved with someone like Seth.

Not to mention that Luke was the only person who was aware that Seth was attracted to men, not even Ashton knew about the weird relationship him and Seth had, and he honestly didn't want some secret relationship; he was already in the closet all through high school and he refused to go back in.

Luke still remembers sophomore year when Seth told him about his feelings for him as he pressed him up against his dorm building late one night. He remembers Seth telling him how long he's wanted him as he pressed his lips against Luke's neck and Luke remembers feeling so scared for his life.

Luke bravely told Seth straight up that he didn't feel the same way and he was surprised that Seth just sadly nodded while looking down at the sidewalk then he was taking his hands off of Luke's hips. Luke ended up running back up to his dorm room and thinking that would be the end of it but boy, was he wrong.

In hindsight, Seth was trouble and Luke wanted no part of it.

Luke swallowed hard and looked down at his lap as he pretended to be messing with his phone as he seen Seth getting closer to him.

It was a new semester and if Luke knew that Seth would be in a class with him he wouldn't had been so happy this morning.

Luke could feel Seth's eyes on him as the boy walked past his desk but Luke still didn't look up as he felt his legs shaking a bit under his table.

It was only when he could see Seth walking up the stairs at the end of his row that Luke looked up and let out a breath. Of course Seth would never sit by him or pay any attention to Luke while other people from their school were around and Luke was so glad for that. He was happy that Seth cared so much about his reputation because it meant that Luke didn't have to deal with him very often.

It was only late at night when he was off on his own that he had to worry about Seth sneaking up on him and trying to seduce him. It was a silly and pointless game that Seth played because Luke knew he wouldn't ever fall for the boys charm and he wondered how much longer Seth was going to keep this up; he hoped the boy would give up soon because Luke didn't know how much longer he could take of this. It felt like everywhere he went he could feel Seth's eyes on him and it was enough to drive him crazy sometimes.

He heard a drum tapping on the table behind him and he just knew it was Seth. Seth would always make some sort of loud noise whenever Luke was around almost like he always had to remind Luke that he was there.

Right away Luke could recognize the beat of a Blink 182 song and he hated when he smiled to himself. Seth having a good taste in music was literally the only thing he had that impressed Luke.

Luke didn’t even know why but he felt himself turning around and he spotted Seth two rows behind him and off to the side a bit. Of course Seth was already looking at him and Luke felt himself tense up when there was a slight smirk on Seth's face as he had his lips parted a bit as he moved his tongue against his cheek in a slow motion. Seth was leaning forward on his desk with one hand resting against his temple and despite the early morning he looked totally awake.

If Seth were a completely different person it would be an act that would about give Luke a hard on but all he really did was make Luke quickly turn away and tense his jaw.

This class was going to go on forever with Seth's eyes on him and Luke let his head fall to his desk.

*

  
As soon as their professor dismissed them Luke was hurrying to exit out of everything on his laptop and quickly closing his book. He wanted to get out of this classroom as quick as possible so he could get away from Seth and not have to be so on edge anymore. It was very stressful and stress was the last thing Luke needed when he still had a few morning classes left.

He stood up and didn't even dare to look behind him to see if Seth was still there before he was standing up and fast walking towards the door.

He had his head down as he walked, which he knew was stupid, then he was colliding with another body and flinching as someones elbow dug into his ribs.

"Watch where you're fucking going" a voice said and Luke let out a breath when he realized that it wasn't Seth who he bumped into.

He looked up and the person wasn't much better than Seth. It was one of Seth's followers who basically worshiped him and Luke looked to the right to see Seth giving the boy a dirty look before he was quickly wiping it away and looking at Luke.

Luke felt nervous being this close to Seth and he put a hand through his hair before he was pushing past the boy, pretending he didn't feel Seth's shoulder brush against his as he passed then he was practically running out of the door.

Seth had showed a sign of protectiveness towards Luke when he gave his best friend a dirty look for talking that way to Luke and that scared the shit out of Luke cause Seth had never done anything like that, especially in public.

Luke had a class to go to soon but he knew for sure that he was going to the office first and at least attempting to get put into another creative writing class. If he had to deal with Seth all semester he knew he wouldn't even be able to pass the class and he wasn't about to let one boy mess up his future.

*

By 3:00 Luke had come out of the lunch area after finishing all of his classes for the day. He had attempted to eat his salad but he only got a few bites in before he was just helplessly looking at the table.

For once he had a frown on his face as he walked through the quad and towards his dorm room on the west side of campus by the woods.

After his talk to the counselor in the office had been a disaster and she told him that there was no way he could switch out of his creative writing class without dropping it completely Luke had felt his mood drop and it only seemed to drop more as the day went on.

By the time he got to the brick dorm building he was basically a walking zombie. There were a couple students sitting on the front steps and railing like there always was and they all gave Luke a friendly wave that Luke gave back but picking up his hand took so much effort. It wasn't very often that Luke felt this tired but he knew he would be taking a nap as soon as he got to his room.

He stepped into the building and climbed the stairs quickly, just wanting to get to his room already and fall asleep so he could temporarily forget about today.

As he got to the upper floor a tall boy with a laundry basket and a girl with a pink dress on were walking towards him.

"Hey, Luke. I'm going to Panda Express, you want anything?" the boy, Pete, asked as he got closer. Pete lived two doors down from him and Ashton and he was always offering to get them food because of how often he went out to eat.

Usually Luke was quick to agree to having someone go get Chinese food for him but today nothing sounded good to him.

"No thanks, Pete. Thank you though" Luke said in the nicest voice he could do.

Pete was immediately frowning and the girl looked just as worried. Usually Luke was a bundle of joy so it was no surprise that they noticed he was was feeling down.

"Hey, you okay?" Pete said actually stopping in front of Luke and Luke sighed.

"I'm fine. Just got a big essay to write and I'm not looking forward to it" Luke lied. He obviously couldn't say that that most popular person on campus was kind of ruining his life.

"Okay" Pete acted like he didn't fully believe him and Luke didn't blame him because he knew he was a shit liar "Let me know if you need anything.

"Yeah" Luke nodded quickly then he was smiling before walking past them.

When Luke got to his door he pushed it open and closed it.

He sighed and leaned against the door as he seen a mess of curly hair sitting at the desk in the corner of their room with bottles of pop and chips all around him.

He was hoping that Ashton had already left for his classes since he had afternoon ones while Luke had morning ones but of course life was totally against him today. He just knew that Ashton would start to question him about his mood and pry and pry until he pissed Luke off even more.

"Aren't you supposed to be on your way to class?" Luke spoke as he stepped inside more and watched the back of Ashton as the boy typed away at his laptop.

"Yeah but I just gotta finish this essay. I'm almost done" Ashton seemed to be very wrapped up in his own thing so Luke just hoped the boy would finish his essay then rush out the door without saying anything more.

Luke plopped down in his bed face first and burrowed his face in his pillow as he already let his eyes fall shut.

"What's wrong with you?" Ashton asked and Luke groaned; it was Ashton so he should have known that he wouldn't get off the hook that easily.

"Nothing" Luke said plainly as his voice was muffled by the pillow.

He opened his eyes to see Ashton now turned towards him with his eyebrows raised.

"Luke" Ashton said in a warning tone and Luke felt like Ashton was prodding at him like his parents would if they were trying to get him to admit to something.

"Can you not Dr. Phil me today? I'm fine, just leave it be" Luke snapped a bit and he never snapped at anyone, especially Ashton, so he knew that he was only making things worse for himself because now Ashton really knew something was wrong.

"You're obviously not. Now spill"

"No" Luke said sternly and he heard Ashton let out an aggravated sigh.

"Luke I'm your best friend and if you can tell anyone it would be me" Ashton said in a soft voice and Luke had such a great friend; he really did but he just couldn't tell Ashton.

"I know. I just can't tell you this though" Luke said. Lying like he did to the students in the hall would have been so much easier but Luke couldn't ever lie to his best friend.

"Is it really that bad?" Ashton spoke and Luke took his eyes away from Ashton's bed that was across from him and looked right at the boy instead.

Ashton looked so concerned and caring and Luke swore he almost cracked.

That was until there was a loud couple of knocks at the door.

Ashton didn't seem phased by it and instead just continued to stare Luke down and Luke kept looking back and forth between Ashton like he was silently asking Ashton if he was going to answer it.

  
Seconds went by then Ashton was letting out a sigh before getting up when the knocks only continued.

Luke watched as Ashton opened it, expecting Pete or someone else from their dorm.

"Oh shit" Ashton said like he was apologizing and Luke sat up a bit as Ashton only had the door open enough for him to stand there "I'm so sorry, Seth I didn't know it was you"

Luke froze and felt himself getting under the covers.

"Is anyone else in there with you?" Seth's deep voice and the way he always spoke to everyone always made him sound like a gang leader or something. Like as soon as he spoke there was no doubt that he was in control.

Except for when he spoke to Luke in private. Then he spoke softly and casually at the same time and Luke should have felt honored to see such a side to him that no one else got to see but he didn't.

"Uh yeah..." Ashton said nervously as he quickly glanced back at Luke "Just my roommate. He's cool though"

Seth of course knew that Luke was Ashton's roommate so Luke tensed up just hoping that Seth wouldn't look in the room. He had dealt with Seth's eyes on him enough today.

"Tell him to get the fuck out" Seth shot out and Luke actually felt himself jumping like someone had jumped out at him in the dead of night.

If it were anyone else Ashton would tell them to get lost but Luke knew how this would go. Unfortunately Ashton was one of those people who worshipped Seth like he was some God and Luke knew his best friend would follow his orders.

Luke should have gotten up and already started to walk towards the door but he felt like being rebellious and not following what Seth said like everyone else did.

"Umm Luke" Ashton was turning around and looking at him like a lost puppy. Luke always hated how Ashton's backbone seemed to disintegrate every time Seth was around him "Can you give us a second?"

"No" Luke said sternly and he could see Ashton's eyes instantly widen "This is my room. You can go somewhere else"

Behind Ashton Luke swears he could see Seth shifting around on his feet, trying to look into the room.

"Luke" Ashton said through gritted teeth and with begging eyes "Please"

Ashton actually looked scared for his life and Luke hated himself for caving in. As he stood up and surrendered he had to keep telling himself that he was doing this for Ashton, not for Seth.

"I'm coming back in here in 15 minutes whether you’re done with your little meeting with the God Father or not" Luke said angrily as he grabbed a can of pop from their mini fridge.

Ashton gave him a thankful smile then he was moving over and Luke was faced with Seth.

Seth was now wearing a backwards black hat and a military green jacket as he stood with one arm resting above his head against the door way.

He was staring Luke down like he always did and Luke swore he saw Seth's eyes move down to look at his lips. He was always looking at Luke's lips and it made Luke's skin crawl.

"It's nothing personal" Seth spoke like Luke was some stranger to him as he never let his serious and in charge face slip away.

Everyone acted as if Seth literally was in charge of the whole school and Luke was so sick of it. He refused to let a person who was the same age as him boss him around like he was a child.

"Fuck off" Luke mumbled before pushing past Seth for the 2nd time that day. He knew he heard Ashton say his name like he was in shock that he had just said that but Luke just kept walking down the hall.

It was the first time that Luke had ever told anyone to fuck off and he was convinced that only Seth could make him that angry but telling the boy off like that felt so good and Luke wished he would have done it a long time ago. Maybe him doing that would put an end to this Seth thing and Seth would get the hint that Luke wanted nothing to do with him.

Yet again, Luke knew he wasn't that lucky.

As he was getting to the stairs he realized that even if he did tell Ashton the truth about him and Seth, Ashton probably wouldn't even believe him.

*

Luke ended up sitting all alone on the front steps of the dorm. The kids who were there were long gone by now and he just sat there with his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands.

It was getting even colder, close to almost 40 degrees and Luke was shivering in just his light flannel jacket. He couldn't believe that Ashton made him leave his own room to sit here and freeze his balls off.

Ashton was a great person whenever Seth wasn't involved and Luke wasn't sure whether that said more about Ashton or Seth as a person. Luke knew how demanding and scary Seth could be but he also knew how strong Ashton was. He just wished Ashton was strong enough to stand up to Seth.

*

Luke didn't even realize he had let his head fall down onto his knees until he was jumping and picking his head up after he heard the door slam shut behind him.

He let out a sigh and rubbed at his eyes, not even knowing how much time had passed by, but all he wanted to do was get back up to his warm room and hold a grudge against Ashton for as long as possible.

"My 15 minutes is up" and Luke tensed at the stern voice and sound of footsteps behind him.

He kept looking straight forward and knew he wouldn't leave until Seth had come down the stairs.

"Whatever" Luke mumbled before standing up.

He could see Seth walking past him on the stairs and he felt the boy glance over at him.

Luke quickly turned around once Seth stepped down onto the grass and he was fast walking up the stairs.

"See you tonight, Luke" and Luke stopped dead in his tracks with his hand on the door handle.

Luke turned around with a set jaw and seen Seth looking up at him with his hands in his pockets and rocking on his heels.

His jaw was tense like Luke's was but Luke had no idea why Seth would be mad.

"What?" Luke said slowly.

"And that's an order" as he spoke Luke could see Seth slowly doing a sideways smirk.

Luke was left there watching as Seth gave him a wink then he was turning around. There was no way that Seth thought he could get Luke to go to the party tonight just by saying that...unless his best friend who was desperate to get into the frat had made some sort of deal with Seth. Luke suddenly felt sick to his stomach as he leaned against the door.

What had Ashton done?

  
*

"No, no, no" Luke kept muttering while he was sitting on the edge of his bed with his face in his hands as he kept shaking his head.

After his short but scary conversation with Seth outside Luke had run all the way up to his room to talk to Ashton and after Ashton told him what was going on he had started to panic.

"Luke just please understand" Ashton said sitting on the bed next to him and putting an arm around him but Luke was quick to push it away from him "You know how much being in the Frat means to me. All my brothers were a part of it and ever since high school it's all I've wanted"

"I'm not fucking going" Luke practically yelled and he felt Ashton jump beside him.

"Listen, I don't know why he wants you to go but he does and it is the only way he is going to keep considering me for the frat. I only have a few more weeks of all of this hazing and shit and then I'm in, Luke" Ashton was speaking so softly but Luke kept his wall up "Seth is the president, I know you know that but it is very important that he likes me"

"I don't care about any of that shit" Luke said "I can't go to the party"

"Do you think something is going to happen to you, Lukey?" Ashton said as he put his hand on the back of Luke's hair and this time Luke didn't push him away "Cause I promise I will stay with you the entire time. They're good guys too; they really are"

"No they're not. They're all a bunch assholes and you know it"

"Please, Luke. This means the world to me" Ashton pleaded and Luke hated that he was such a good person. Luke wished he could be a horrible person like Seth and then maybe he would be able to refuse going to this party.

He could see how this party was going to go down and it wouldn't be pretty.

Yet he still felt himself saying "Okay" and nodding his head.

  
*

As soon as Luke could hear the loud bass music of the frat house he felt himself getting even more nervous from his place in the backseat of the car. Calum was riding shot gun as him and Ashton both flirted like 12 year old girls and Luke would have jumped on the opportunity to tease them if he wasn't feel so sick to his stomach as the big white house came into view.

He had never been to the frat house before but every Monday he was hearing tons of stories about the party the weekend before. Most of them were from girls who were raving on about how many hot guys were there and others were just talking about Seth. Luke always stopped ease dropping when they began to talk about Seth and he wished he could go just one day without hearing about the boy.

Maybe if he wasn't such a wallflower and had more friends than just Ashton then he wouldn't have to eavesdrop so much out of boredom.

"Holy shit this place is insane. It looks like the White House" Calum said and Luke couldn't help but let out a scoff. Yeah the house was big with a deck going all the way around the top floor but it still wasn't even as close to as big as the White House.

They were pulling into spot on the grass and Luke looked around to see how desolate it really was out here. There were woods on all sides of the house, except where the long driveway was and the sky was pitch black, unlike when he looked out his window while he was at his dorm because the lights from the city made it have a orangish tint.

As Luke got out and looked up at the stars he had realized that he had missed them a lot. He knew if things got bad in there, and they would, that he would end up coming outside to lay in the grass and look at the sky. He remembers when he was a kid looking at the stars always made his problems seem so much smaller and it was comforting.

"It's gonna be fun, Luke" Ashton said slinging an arm around his shoulder and Luke wanted to push him away with how mad at him he still was but he needed the comfort he could get right now.

"Yeah you can say that at my funeral" Luke mumbled and he felt Calum's worried eyes on him.

Luke looked up to see Calum giving Ashton a questioning glance but all of their attention was quickly being stolen away by a kid who began to run across the front yard in only his boxers.

"Hey Ashton!" the half naked boy yelled as he starting to run around in circles and Ashton hesitated before lifting up his hand in a casual wave.

This was going to be a long night.

*

When they walked inside the house there were people packed in there like trapped rats and Luke already started to feel the claustrophobia kick in and his throat seemed to tighten.

He went to loosen the black button up shirt that had a collar, Ashton had made him wear it, even though the first two buttons were undid and it wasn't choking him at all.

"Hey! There aren't any drinks in your hands!" some guy stepped in front of them as he shouted over the music and soon all three of them were having plastic cups pushed into their hands and Luke just looked down at the purple colored drink and he could smell the alcohol in it. He had never had sip of alcohol in his life, besides when he would have sips of his mothers dry wine back when he lived at home, so he didn't dare bring it up to his lips. He just put his hand around the top of it as he let it hand by his legs.

Luke looked over to see Calum and Ashton both down their own drinks and Ashton was drinking his so fast that some of it was dripping down his chin. Luke now realized why Ashton always came back to the dorm so wasted on Friday nights.

Soon Ashton was tugging on Luke's sleeve and they were walking through the living room area. Luke looked up and he could see a balcony where drunk kids were sitting with their legs between the railing and cigarettes in their mouths. They all looked pretty chilled out and they weren't in the middle of all the chaos so Luke felt like he would be joining them if, when, Ashton decided to ditch him.

Usually Ashton always kept his promises but this was a party and Luke knew Ashton wouldn't be able to babysit him the entire time.

They were getting to the kitchen and there were less people in there so Luke started to recognize a few students from their school. All the girls that he had seen so far all looked like they belonged on the cover of Vogue and it made Luke wonder even more why Seth wanted him here when he could literally have any of the girls here. Luke just didn't understand the boy at all.

Calum and Ashton were getting more drinks and Luke just let out a breath as he leaned against the cold metal fridge.

He had only been here several minutes and he already wanted to leave.

Ashton and Calum were giggling to each other as they downed more drinks and Luke was happy for them, he really was, but he just knew he would be left in the dust tonight because they were so focused on each other.

Luke started to look around the kitchen again and his eyes were taking a double look at a boy with messy lilac hair.

Not many people ever caught Luke's eye but he found himself unable to look away.

The lilac haired boy was sitting up on the counter with a drink in his hand as he kept laughing and tossing his head back with his eyes closed at something the guy in front of him was saying. Luke honestly doesn't think he has ever seen someone so beautiful.

The boy began using his hands as he talked about something and Luke felt himself tense when the boy put a hand through his hair and smiled wide at his friends. Luke wished the boy would smile at him like that.

Lilac boy began to look around the kitchen and Luke really should have looked elsewhere so he wouldn't get caught staring but he just couldn't.

In an instant the boys eyes were going past Luke but then they were going right back to him and Luke felt himself take a deep breath.

The boy just raised his cup up to his lips, never taking his eyes off of Luke, as he took a long sip and raised his eyebrows.

When the boy stopped drinking he looked away and Luke felt like he could breathe again but he also missed that feeling of being watched by lilac boy.

Luke looked to the left and Calum and Ashton were walking towards him then Ashton was getting close to him so he Luke could hear him better.

"Cal's gotta piss, you wanna come up there with us?" Ashton shouted near his ear and Luke hurried and nodded. Maybe it would be more quiet up there and he could relax a bit.

They were walking away but Luke couldn't help but glance back at lilac boy and his eyes were still on his own friends. Luke let out a breath and looked ahead again; he should have known that someone that beautiful would never be interested in him.

*

  
When they got upstairs the dark halls were empty and as they walked the lights would flicker on and Luke wondered how much longer they would have to walk before they got to a bathroom.

Soon Ashton was stopping at a door and twisting the handle before pushing it open and moving aside so Calum could walk in. Luke didn't miss the way Ashton put a hand on Calum's back and Calum was blushing like fool like he always did.

Luke kept looking down the hall both ways, feeling creeped out that only the part of hallway that they were in was lit up and the rest was completely dark. He felt like he was in a horror movie except the monster was a human with blue eyes.

He thought that he was imagining things when the lights from down the hall slowly began to light up and the figure was getting closer and closer.

As he was only a few feet away Luke could see the smirk on his face and he felt himself backing up so that he was against the wall.

"Luke, what's wrong?" Ashton said looking over at him then he was looking where Luke was "Seth! I was looking for you. You got a great turn out tonight and-"

"Stop talking" Seth said harshly to Ashton while his eyes never left Luke's face then he was looking over at Ashton and Luke felt a bit calmer “Sebastian wants to see you”

Just by Seth's tone Luke knew straight away that it was just a decoy; that the Vice President didn't really want to see Ashton. Seth just wanted Luke alone with him.

Calum was then coming out of the bathroom then looking around like he knew he had missed something.

“Okay” Ashton nodded then he was looking at Luke “come on Luke”

All Seth did was step in front of Luke so Ashton couldn't see him then Luke peaked around Seth's shoulder to give Ashton pleading eyes. Seth had never hurt Luke but who knows what he had in mind.

“Sebastian is waiting” Seth said sternly then Ashton was nodding before grabbing Calum's hand and pulling him down the dim hallway.

Seth kept his eyes on Calum and Ashton until they were out of sight then he was turning around to face Luke and Luke felt himself taking a step back.

“I'm happy you came” was the first thing Seth said to Luke and instantly his voice changed into the friendly one that only Luke got to hear.

“I came for Ashton; not you” Luke snapped back.

“Fair enough” Seth nodded as he briefly looked past Luke.

“What is this all about? Are you gonna kill me?” Luke suddenly said, just wanting Seth to get to the point already.

“No” Seth said as his head quickly twitched like he was going to shake his head but decided not to “I'd never hurt you”

“Oh and you think you aren't hurting me by harassing me?" Luke said as he was only losing his temper even more and Seth knew it.

"You look fucking incredible tonight" Seth said instead as he started to take a few steps towards Luke.

"Stop ignoring me! What don't you get about me wanting nothing to do with you?"

"I"m not ignoring you. I heard what you said, Luke" Seth said still staying calm and collective like he always did.

Suddenly Seth was pressing Luke right up against the wall with one hand on his chest. He started pecking the smallest kisses up Luke's jaw and Luke hated himself for feeling goosebumps pop up on his skin. It felt so good but he didn't want this with Seth.

He could smell the boys expensive cologne and then he felt Seth beginning to put his hand down Luke's chest then his stomach.

"You can tell me to stop at anytime" Seth said as he started to suck kisses into the side of Luke's neck.

Whenever Seth would touch Luke like this he would always make it obvious that Luke could tell him to stop at any time but it always took Luke a while to tell him to stop and he always hated himself for that.

"You know, I could have any person at this fucking party and I pick you" Seth said in a cocky voice as he smirked against Luke's neck and Luke shivered as Seth's hand began to rub over his dick "Come on, Luke; let me make you feel good"

It then occurred to Luke that if this went any further then he would end up losing his virginity to some person he didn't he have feelings for and that was not what he wanted to happen.

"Stop. Please stop" Luke said pushing at Seth's chest and Seth instantly took his hand off of him and backed up. Seth was a lot of horrible things but he was not a rapist.

It wasn't until Luke felt wetness on his cheeks that he realized he was crying.

"Shit, Luke; are you crying?" Seth spoke the softest Luke had ever heard but he quickly wiped his cheek and pushed past Seth.

"Just stay away from me" Luke said over his shoulder with a weak tone.

He knew he had heard Seth yell his name but he just started running down the hallway, needing to get out of this house right now.

*

Luke ended up in the backyard where there wasn't a single person in sight and it was exactly what he needed. There were white lights lighting up some of the pine trees in front of him and the pool have a cover over it with lots of lawn chairs around it.

He kept thinking about Seth and how he almost let the boy have sex with him. He had no idea what he had been thinking.

"Looks like you've had a rough night" came a voice from a distance and Luke took his face out of his arms to look around.

It was then that Luke spotted someone sitting on top of the roof of the two story guest house. It was high up and the boy was sitting there on the edge with his legs dangling with out a care in the world.

Luke stood up and began walking towards the guest house that was even nicer than the house he grew up in.

As he got closer he instantly recognized the lilac haired boy and he couldn't help but feel something warm in his chest.

"Uh...what're you doing up there?" Luke asked shyly.

The boy took a sip of the bottle of beer in his hand then shrugged. It was obvious that the boy was wasted.

"Wanna come up?" he asked and Luke loved the sound of his voice.

Luke almost nodded but then he hesitated.

"I'm afraid of heights" Luke said as he looked down at the ground.

"Guess I'll just have to come down there then" the boy said and Luke expected him to just stand up and get down the way he got up there but instead the boy turned around on his hands and knees then started to back up like he was going to jump off.

"No! What the hell are you doing?" Luke shouted in fear.

"I'm getting down" the boy said looking over his shoulder at Luke.

"By jumping? It's like 20 feet" Luke said as he wished the boy would just stop being so nutty.

"Yeah but you gotta promise that you'll catch me" the boy said in a serious voice and now Luke really was sure that this kid was insane.

"I can't promise you that" Luke yelled up "Just get down the way you got up" Luke started to look around the top of the house and he seen an open window which the boy must have crawled through.

"Well I'm jumping then" lilac boy said and Luke widened his eyes as the boy let himself fall so that he was hanging there with only his hands on the roof.

"You're going to kill yourself!" Luke felt himself almost having a heart attack then he was looking to the front door of the guest house "Just keep holding on, I'm going to come up there and get you!"

All the boy did was let out a loud laugh then Luke was sprinting into the house. He looked all around for a staircase then found the spiral staircase. He quickly ran over to them and climbed them, trying not to trip.

It was almost pitch dark upstairs but he could see one light from a bedroom and he figured that was the one with the open window. He got to it and luckily it was and he jumped on the top of a small bookcase to climb through it.

He could see the boys hands still hanging there and he relaxed a bit but then he was carefully crawling over to him on the slanted roof.

"grab my hand" Luke said as he tapped the boys hand then he was leaning forward and the boy still had a grin on his face. He was either extremely drunk or a total lunatic.

Luckily Luke was able to pull him up and the boy slumped against him when he got fully on the roof again.

"I'm Michael" the boy said once he backed away from Luke.

"Luke" He said as he was still out of breath "What were you thinking hanging off the roof like that?" Luke scolded him like a parent would but he just couldn't help it.

"I thought you were afraid of heights" Michael smirked at him and it was then that Luke realized where he was. He felt himself looking down and his breath caught in his throat at how high up they really were.

"Shit" Luke said climbing further away from the edge.

"Hey, nothing is going to happen to you. Just look around...look how amazing the view is"

"No" Luke whimpered as he had his hands covering his face.

"Come on" Michael said prying Luke's hand off of face and despite how cold it was Michael's hands were so warm and Luke didn't want him to stop touching his skin.

Luke opened his eyes and looked at Michael's kind smile first then he was swallowing hard and looking around.

It felt like he could see the stars so much better up here and in the distance he could see the woods go on for miles.

All the windows in the main house were being lit up by different colored lights and Luke started to wonder where Calum and Ashton were and if they were looking for him.

  
"So I'm guessing you weren't having too much fun in there if you were sitting out here all by yourself" Michael said and Luke looked back at him then smiled.

"Well you were out here by yourself too" and Michael chuckled at that.

"Everyone here is a bit too snobby for me" Michael said and Luke just nodded.

"Yeah, tell me about it" he said as he rolled his eyes "Do you go to school in town? cause I've never seen you there" Luke knew he would notice someone as beautiful as Michael.

"Nah, I dropped out a couple years ago. I work at a car repair shop on 5th street" Michael said taking a couple more swigs of his beer and Luke felt his jaw dropping as he watched the way Michael's lips curved around the tip of the bottle. He hated how worked up this boy was making him "Listen I gotta get another one of these" Michael said lifting up his beer bottle "You coming?"

"Yeah" Luke wanted to hit himself for how fast he agreed even though he knew they were only going back into the main house.

"Alright" Michael nodded then he was standing at the edge of the roof again.

When Luke didn't move Michael was looking back at him with raised eyebrows.

"Come on" he said waving his hand towards the edge "It's a long ways down but I'm sure we'll make it"

"What?" Luke widened his eyes at how serious Michael was being about this; about jumping to their death.

Suddenly Michael was bending over and dying laughing as he closed his eyes.

"I'm just fucking with you" Michel said wiping his eyes as he walked past Luke and back towards the open window "You're too easy"

With a sigh Luke got up and followed Michael through the window but he couldn't help but smile. Michael was too much but Luke loved it.

*

When they got back inside it was just how Luke had left it and he let out a sigh. He wished he was still out on the roof with just him and Michael and he hoped Michael would want to go back out there after he got a beer.

Luke scanned the crowd for Calum and Ashton and he actually got a bit scared when they were nowhere in sight. His phone had died as soon as he got outside so if they were texting him he wouldn't even know it.

He followed close behind Michael and he felt a warm feeling every time the boy looked backwards to check if Luke was still with him.

When they got to the kitchen Luke remembered that this had been the place where he first seen Michael and even though that was only an hour ago he still couldn't believe that he was now hanging out with the boy.

Michael grabbed a beer off the middle island of the kitchen without stopping then he was perching himself on top of the counter like he was before.

Luke stood next to him and watched as Michael hit the top of the bottle on the corner of the counter then the top was falling to the floor and he was taking big swigs of it.

"Hey you want a drink?" said a voice next to Luke and he looked to the right of him to see a kid that he recognized from school.

"No thank you. I'm okay" Luke said with a friendly smile but he could tell the boy wasn't letting him off the hook yet.

"It's a fucking party. What, are you scared?" the boy laughed and Luke felt like running away and curling into a ball. The boy reminded him of the type of guys who bullied him in high school.

"Hey, he said he doesn't want the damn drink. Get lost" Michael was sternly saying and Luke watched as the boy seemed to lose all of his confidence and then he was walking away.

Luke looked back to Michael and smiled wide. He really liked this guy.

"Thanks for that" Luke said and Michael just shrugged like it was no big deal.

Luke watched as Michael was bringing out packet of cigarettes then he was taking one out and putting it between his lips.

"Got a light?" Michael said with a smirk like he knew damn well that Luke didn't have a lighter. Luke wasn't smoker and he was pretty sure that was obvious.

"Oh...no" Luke said quickly and he forced himself to look away from Michael's lips "Sorry"

Michael ended up bumming one off of some kid who walked by and Luke watched him light it then inhale and blow the smoke upwards as he closed his eyes.

"Clifford!" said a booming voice that had everyone in the kitchen freeze and look to the archway that led into the tall ceiling living room.

Luke looked to the archway too and seen Sebastian, aka Seth's best friend and vice president of the frat, standing there with a tensed jaw and eyes to kill. Whoever he was referring to was in big trouble and Luke felt sorry for them.

"Seb! My man!" said a voice way to close to Luke and Luke tensed up before looking over to Michael and he seen a big smirk on his face as he looked straight at Sebastian "Wow, you look like shit" and Luke almost laughed but he looked around and everyone else just looked scared for their lives.

"Get the fuck out of here" Sebastian said as he stepped closer but Michael didn't move an inch "You know you’re not allowed to step foot on this property"

"I know, I know" Michael said raising up his hands like he was surrendering but Luke knew it was all an act "But I figured I would pay you guys a little visit"

"Don't make me tell you twice" Sebastian was losing his patience and Luke felt himself leaning into Michael.

"Just let me finish my beer alright? Then I will leave" Michael said but even Luke knew that was a lie.

Instead of Sebastian moving closer he just clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth a couple of times then he was turning on his heels and leaving the kitchen.

As soon as he left everyone began talking again and the room didn't feel as tense.

"What a fucking prick" Michael mumbled from behind his cigarette.

Luke wasn't even sure he wanted to know the answer to the question he was about to ask but he heard it spilling out of his mouth anyways.

"How do you know Sebastian?"

Michael smiled wide then he was looking over at Luke and opening his mouth, about to answer the boy but then in his peripheral vision Luke could see a crowd of people fast walking into the kitchen and he whipped his head to see 5 men, that were dressed similar to Sebastian and Seth, walking towards them with only bad intentions.

Luke didnt even have time to run before one of them was punching Michael hard in the stomach hard and as Michael leaned over in pain the same man was kicking Michael in the nose and causing him to cry out in pain again.

Luke couldn't believe it when he see Michael smile then laugh.

"Come on, guys is that all you've got?" Michael said as blood dripped down his face.

Soon another one was punching Michael square in the face and it was as if Luke was finally able to move and adrenaline pumped through him as he stepped forward and tried to guard Michael from the men beating him up.

Luke knew it was a stupid idea as soon as one was punching him so hard that he was falling to the floor.

"Don't you fucking touch him!" came Michael's voice and Luke had his eyes shut as he felt the cold tile flooring underneath his face.

There was more cries of pain and sounds of fists hitting faces and Luke just wanted it to all be over.

"Get them the fuck out of here!" Luke heard Sebastian yell and he was thankful because that meant that maybe this was over.

He realized that wasn't the case when he felt a sharp kick to his ribs and he could feel the tears running down his face.

He felt someone picking him up and Luke opened his eyes to see that he was over one of the mens shoulders. Behind him he could see the other 4 men attempting to contain Michael and get ahold of him so that they could throw him out too.

Just as Luke was rounding the corner he could see Michael getting punched again in the stomach and face and Luke cringed before closing his eyes, not wanting to see anymore of it.

*

Luke had his eyes closed all through the house and he only opened them when he felt the cold air on his skin.

Soon he was being thrown to the ground and Luke heaved in a breath when he landed on his ribs that were still sore.

He leaned up into a sitting position and wiped the blood off of his face before looking at the person who had been carrying him.

He was a boy who wasn't much older than Luke and Luke could remember seeing him on campus a couple of times. The boy was looking straight down at Luke with empty eyes.

He was about to curse him out or at least say something but then the front doors were slamming open and the 4 men were carrying Michael onto the front deck and down the stairs. Luke could see Michael thrashing around like a fish out of water as he kept cursing at them and Luke wanted to help him so badly but it was 5 against 1 (plus Sebastian if he wanted to join in ) and Luke had no chance.

They were getting onto the grass and coming towards Luke and Luke watched with glossy eyes as they threw Michael onto the grass with a loud thump and Luke turned away when he seen Michael starting to cough up blood. It was too hard for him to see the boy in so much pain and he began to cry again.

Luke thought it would be over because the men got what they wanted but soon he head Michael cry out in pain again and he turned to see two of the frat guys in suits kicking at him with great force.

Luke stood up quickly but felt his legs give out on him so he started to crawl towards Michael instead.

"Leave him alone! Please!" Luke cried out helplessly. He didn't know what he was doing but he knew he had to do something "Michael!" Luke could feel more tears running down his face for a boy he only just met.

Soon he felt a hand on his shoulder and he was being pulled back by the man who had carried him outside then the man was holding him down on the ground with his hands around Luke's neck. The man wasn't putting enough pressure on Luke's neck to cut off his air but it was still painful.

Luke opened his eyes and turned his head and felt like he couldn't breathe as he seen who was standing on the front porch.

Seth was walking out onto the porch with his hands in his pockets with a smirk on his face as he watched his frat guys kick the shit out of Michael and Luke had never hated Seth more than right now.

As if Seth felt eyes on him he was glancing in Luke's direction then taking a double look and widening his eyes as he spotted Luke for the first time.

"Stanley!" Seth was yelling and the boy who had his hands around Luke's neck turned around to look at him "Get your hands off of him now" and the boy took his hands off of Luke's neck like he had been burned and Luke rolled over to start coughing into the grass.

"Bring him up to my study” Seth spoke again and soon Luke felt himself getting pulled up off of the ground but this time Stanley was being so much more careful with him.

Luke turned his head backwards and watched as Michael was now face down in the grass and he looked like he was barely even awake but Luke could see Michael's eyes on him.

"Michael" Luke whimpered out and he knew Michael had heard because he seen the lilac boy sit up quickly like he wanted to go after Luke but then he was being pushed to the ground again.

Luke was being tugged up the stairs and he seen something that looked like sympathy in Seth's eyes as he pased him then Seth was looking back out into yard.

"Alright that's enough. Just get him out of here" was the last thing Luke heard Seth say to the other frat guys in a tired voice before the door was being shut. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a lot shorter than the first but from now on the chapters will be under 5k usually like my chapters are in my other fics. Enjoy!

The walls seemed like they were moving as Stanley still had a firm grip on Luke's arm as they walked through the dim hallway upstairs.

He would tell Stanley that he was capable of walking on his own but he wasn't sure that was true. The pain in his ribs seemed to getting worse and now his stomach was beginning to get sharp pains in it too that had Luke about falling to the ground and he was actually afraid that he had some internal injuries.

He couldn't get Michael's pained face out of his head as the other frat guys kicked and punched him and he wished more than anything that he was with Michael right now as he tended to him and tried to stop the pain. He couldn't stop hoping that wherever Michael was that he was okay.

Luke had never went through something so traumatic in his entire life and he couldn't believe how fast everything seemed to happen; one minute he was having a nice chat with Michael on the roof and the next minute he was having to watch the boy get the shit beat out of him.

Stanley was then stopping in front of a doorway and Luke looked up from the floor for the first time as the door was being opened and he was stepping inside with Stanley in front of him now as he let go of Luke's arm.

Luke realized how much he needed the other boy to rest against as he was now stumbling over to the closest piece of furniture. He slumped down in a leather chair and was instantly letting out a groan as it seemed like his ribs were about to break through his skin.

He was in all of this pain, more pain than he had ever been in, and he still felt himself worrying about Michael. He without a doubt got hit more than Luke did so Luke knew his injuries were way worse and that made him so nervous.

He only snapped out of thinking about Michael when he felt eyes on him and Stanley was leaning against the wide window with dark purple curtains with his eyes on Luke's hand that was softly pressing against his stomach.

"I'm sorry" Stanley spoke and Luke wanted to scoff; he really did but instead he shook his head and looked away.

"No you're not" Luke said back in a dull voice as he tensed his jaw.

He heard Stanley let out a sigh and Luke knew that would be the end of that conversation. Everyone in the frat didn't even know how to think on their own and it scared Luke to death to know that soon Ashton would be a part of something so horrible. He would be a part of a group that kicked the shit out of people just because Seth said so.

Suddenly the door was swinging open and Luke was almost thankful for it; that was until he seen who it was.

Seth came slowly walking into the room with an intense glare on Stanley and Luke didn't agree with a lot of things that Seth did but he hoped that Stanley was somehow punished for what he did.

Seth looked over to Luke and his face seemed to soften then he was making his way over to Luke in his all black suit that looked very expensive. Luke looked away from Seth and seen a rolex on his wrist and he kept his eyes there until Seth was standing right in front of him.

Luke was forced to look up at the boy when Seth softly put his hand under Luke's chin and tilted it upwards. Luke was about to pull away but he barely even had the strength to.

Seth was then turning Luke's face slowly and then his jaw was tensing when he seen Luke's black eye.

Luke didn't miss the way that Seth rubbed his thumb against his cheek before he was taking his hands off of his face.

Luke went back to looking down at the floor and he felt another sharp pain go through his stomach.

"Did you do this?" Seth's sharp voice made Luke jump then he was looking up to see Seth staring Stanley down. Luke softly smiled when he seen how scared Stanley looked.

"Yes...yes I did sir but you told me to take care of Clifford and-"

"Does he look like Michael to you?" Seth snapped and Luke seen the blue eyed boy point a thumb towards him.

"No but he was with Michael so I just figured that-" Stanley stumbled over his words and Luke was loving it.

"If I ever see you lay your hands on him again I promise it will be your last" Seth said as he was completely turned towards Stanley now.

Stanley just started to nod like it was the only thing he knew how to do and Luke wanted to laugh.

"Now get the hell out and send Ashton Irwin up here" Seth said and Luke perked at hearing his best friends name and finding out that he was going to see him soon. Ashton was such a nurturing and caring person and Luke just really needed to be held right now.

As Stanley was leaving he felt the air thicken because he was now alone with Seth behind a closed door and this was what Seth has always wanted; to be completely alone with Luke .

Luke bit his lip as he watched Seth letting out a breath then the boy was walking over to the window and resting his forearm against it as he looked out.

It was obvious that Seth was either too angry to talk or he just didnt know what to say so Luke knew he really should just stay quiet because Ashton would be here soon then he would take Luke home and this would be all over; not like he had anything to say to Seth anyways.

After all, it was Seth's orders to hurt Michael so Luke despised him even more now. If he wasn't so hurt he swears he would punch Seth right in the face and he knew Seth wouldn't hit him back.

Luke never thought of doing things so violent so he didn't know why but he just felt the need to protect Michael and care for him. He had only just met the lilac haired boy but for some reason he felt very attached to him.

Luke went back to looking at the floor and he was surprised when the silence just continued on. Seth always had something to say to Luke and now that he had the boy all to himself he was silent.

Luke was sure that Seth knew that he was upset with him though, Seth had always been smart in more ways than one.

Suddenly the door was swinging open and a distressed Ashton was practically running in with Calum hot on his heels.

Luke watched Ashton's face turn into even more worry when he got closer and seen how banged up Luke really was.

Ashton was instantly kneeling down in front of Luke and bringing the blond boy into his chest and Luke melted into it. He needed comfort like this so badly and as Ashton moved his face to burrow into Luke's neck Luke felt himself breaking even more as he began to let out little whimpers into Ashton's shoulder as he shook from crying.

"Lukey, I'm-fuck I'm so sorry" Ashton kept whispering apologies into Luke's neck as he still held the boy.

Luke took his head out of Ashton's shoulder to look at Calum who was standing a few feet away with his hands in his pockets as he kept shifting on his feet nervously. He looked like he was close to tears as well.

Luke started to wonder if Ashton was even going to say anything to Seth but he figured that Stanley had put all the blame on himself since he was the one who did all of this to Luke and Seth never told him to do any of it.

Luke didn't dare look over at Seth and right as he was digging his face back into Ashton's shoulder he heard footsteps leaving the room and he knew they belonged to Seth. Luke prayed it would be the last time he would have an encounter with the blue eyed boy.

"Take care, Luke" Luke quickly picked his head up at the sound of a voice that didn't belong to either Ashton or Calum and he could see Seth standing in the doorway facing the hallway but his head was turned towards Luke "And if it's any consolation, I'm sorry"

Luke didn't even know if he wanted to respond but he didn't have time to because Seth was already walking out of the room.

Ashton gave Luke a tight squeeze, unaware of his sore ribs, and Luke let out a growl sound as pain shot through him again. Ashton was quick to let him go then he was facing Luke with teary eyes.

"What hurts, Luke?" Ashton spoke softly as he cupped Luke's face with both hands.

The answer to Ashton's question was "everything" because Luke wasn't feeling any sort of relief from the pain anywhere on his body.

"My ribs" Luke's voice was horse when he spoke and he realized it was because of all the screaming he did outside when he had to witness Michael in such pain.

Ashton carefully lifted up Luke's shirt and Luke watched Calum over Ashton's shoulder as the boy flinched at seeing Luke's beaten up body. Luke didn't even bother to look down at himself.

"We should take him to the hospital" Calum spoke for the first time since they walked in.

Ashton was then turning to look back at Calum then facing Luke again.

"He's right Luke. You could have internal injuries"

"No" Luke started to shake his head. He was terrified of the hospital and he refused to go unless he started not being able to breathe or something serious like that "I'll be fine. I just need some rest"

Ashton looked skeptical like he was considering just throwing Luke over his shoulder and forcefully taking Luke to the hospital whether he liked it or not. Instead he just sighed and ran a hand through his hair before nodding at Luke.

"Okay, Luke. Let's get you back to the dorm"

(On the way home Luke told Ashton everything. From sophomore year when Seth first bothered him to Seth harassing him any chance he got since then and he also told Ashton about Michael. Luke looked in the rear view mirror at Ashton's face and could see all the guilt in his eyes. He could tell that Ashton was done with all of this frat stuff once and for all and Luke felt a burst of hope; his friend wasn't going to become one of the monsters that beat up him and Michael and Luke was beside himself with relief as he let his head rest on the cold window)

*

The next morning Luke woke up with the pain still lingering in his body but it was nowhere near as bad as last night. He knew it was because of the pain pills that Ashton made him take last night and Luke was grateful for it.

He rubbed at his eyes before looking to the clock on his nightstand and seeing that it was way past his first class. Luke knew he would be missing his other classes for today as well. He knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate anyways.

He also seen two more little pills next to a glass of water and a note. Luke sat up and felt a little dizzy but picked up the yellow note and brought it close to his face.

Had to take care of something. Get some rest Lukey and don't even think about going to class today.

Luke let out a little chuckle then put the note back and put the pills in his mouth before chugging half of the glass of water.

  
*

When Luke finally did get out of bed and finally head down to the showers the only thing on his mind was Michael and if he was even ever going to see the boy again; Luke didn't know what he would do if Michael was completely out of his life and never to be seen again.

He was dressed and drying his hair in the mirror when he realized that he knew where Michael worked. It was a long shot because maybe Michael didn't even go into work today because of how hurt he was but Luke still knew he had to try.

*

That was how Luke ended up running across the quad wearing a red crewneck that was too big on him and a black beanie because he hated how his hair looked today.

He didn't even know if Michael would want to see him but he just had to make sure the boy was okay and not dead in a ditch somewhere. It would kill him if he didn't see how Michael was doing.

When Luke got to the outside of the campus he quickly caught a cab and told him to just take him to take him to the only car repair shop that was on 5th street.

Luke was actually beginning to get nervous as they got closer to 5th street and he kept rehearsing what he was going to say to Michael when he seen him. He would probably start with "Are you okay?" and go from there. He knew he would want to hug Michael and try to comfort him but he also knew that they were practically strangers and he wasn't sure if Michael would be okay with that. The last thing he wanted to do was make Michael uncomfortable.

He watched as they city got busier as he got into the middle of it and soon the cab was coming to a stop and Luke tensed up a bit before giving the cab driver his money and getting out of the cab.

He looked up at the run down blue building before he was stepping walking up to the front doors and opening them up. He was greeted by the smell of tires and a faint smell of an apple air freshener as he stepped onto the black and white checkered tile and a girl chewing her gum obnoxiously was standing behind the counter.

Luke walked up to it when she didn't even look up from her magazine he had to clear his throat to get her attention.

"Can I help you?" she said in a lazy voice and Luke could tell she had never gotten employee of the month.

"I'm here to see Michael Clifford" Luke said nervously even though Michael wasn't even in front of him yet.

"Are you hear to pick up a car?" she said and Luke shook his head.

"No...I just have to talk to him" Luke said and she just sat there chewing her gum and staring him down like she was thinking of not even letting Luke in and Luke chewed on his lip.

"Fine. Come with me" she said rolling her eyes and he watched as she opened the gate that was by the front counter before he was following her behind the counter.

They walked down a hallway with dark blue paint that was chipping and Luke could see a black door at the end of it.

They were getting to the door and when the girl opened it they loudness from the shop could be heard and the ceilings were high where cars were pulled off the ground and men in dark blue work suits were walking around.

"Michael!" Luke jumped sky high when the girl yelled but then he was looking all over for the lilac haired boy "Michael!" she called again and Luke looked where she was looking. She was looking at a boy who was perched under a car and only his hips on down were showing.

Soon the boy was wheeling himself out from under the car on the little plank with wheels that he was laying down and that was when Luke seen the familiar green eyes and lilac hair that was sticking out from under a backwards hat that was the same color of his suit.

Michael stood up and Luke took in his appearance. He was wearing the blue suit like everyone else had on except the top half of his was tied around his waist as his plain white shirt with oil stains all over it was showing.

Luke wanted to punch himself for getting so turned on by the boy.

When Michael didn't lock eyes with him Luke realized he was kind of hiding behind the girl and he stepped out, wanting Michael to see him.

Michael quickly widened his eyes when he looked at Luke then he seemed to be speeding up as the girl pushed past Luke and went back to her counter.

Luke smiled as Michael got closer and his heart broke a bit when he didnt get one back.

"Hey Mi-" Luke cut himself off when Michael was grabbing him by the forearm and beginning to pull him further into the shop with a look on his face that made it seem like he was upset.

Luke never meant to upset Michael by coming here and he began to feel guilty.

Soon Michael was opening up a door with a long window and sound was getting cut off behind them when the door closed.

Michael led Luke into a room with a couple tables and Luke could tell that this was where they ate lunch.

Finally Michael was stopping and letting go of Luke's arm and then he was facing Luke with his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the counter behind him.

Now that Luke was getting a good look at him in florescent lighting he could see Michael's black eyes and scrapes all over his face.

"Luke, what're you doing here?" Michael sounded like he was trying really hard to not sound too upset.

"I just-" Luke bit is lip and knew he just had to tell Michael the truth "I just had to make sure you were okay"

Michael's face seemed to soften then and he let out a breath.

"I'm fine. I'll live" then he was shaking his head and Luke could see the sympathy in his eyes "Are _you_ okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I was more worried about you" Luke said honestly and he watched as Michael studied his face for a few seconds before looking down to the floor.

"You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself" he seemed angry again and Luke hated it.

"That's not what I meant I just-"

"I gotta get back to work, Luke" Michael said with a sigh and Luke started to shake his head as Michael already started to walk away.

"Michael wait!" Luke said jogging to catch up to Michael who already had his hand on the door that led back out into the shop.

He watched as Michael ran a hand through the back of his hair then he was turning to face Luke again.

"Can I see you again?" Luke said softly but Michael just looked at him like he was some fictional creature.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Luke" Michael said simply but Luke could feel his heart breaking.

"W-why not?"

Michael let out an aggravated sigh and tensed his jaw.

"I'm pretty sure Seth wouldn't want you hanging around me" Michael said and Luke didn't miss the way that it seemed like it pained him to say Seth's name; Luke could relate.

He realized that Michael was obviously confused as to what Luke and Seth's relationship was.

"Wait...Do you think I'm like friends with Seth?" Luke said, raising his eyebrows.

"Well yeah" Michael said with a chuckle "He got pretty upset when he seen Stanley holding you down"

"We're not friends; not even close and I can hang out with anyone that I want to" Luke said sternly and he seen Michael visibly relaxing. It then occurred to Luke that the reason why Michael was being so standoffish with him is because he though he was somehow involved with Seth.

"Well you must mean something to him" Michael said quietly.

"Well I can promise you that he means nothing to me" Luke said back then his face was softening "If you don't want to see me again I understand but...I just really like you" Michael whipped his head up at Luke's words and opened his mouth a little.

"I do wanna see you again, Luke" Michael said and Luke felt himself blush "I just don't want you to get wrapped up in my hectic life. I feel awful because of what happened to you last night...and it was all because you were with me"

"I don't care about any of that" Luke said back straight away.

He watched as Michael started to smile as he looked down at the floor.

"I ummm...I get off at 6" and Luke's face lit up "Do you wanna meet me at the coffee shop next door?"

"Yeah" Luke said as he couldn't stop smiling "That would be great, Michael"

"I hope you know what you're getting into" Michael said with a faint smile but Luke could see the pain and guilt in his eyes.

Luke didn't know what he was getting himself into but if he got to do it with Michael then he didn't even care.

 


End file.
